Christ the King

The Titular Statue

The titular statue of Christ the King is made out of cirmolo which is a very light type of wood particularly suitable for statues that are to be shoulder-carried as part of a procession.

The statue is made out of a number of boards bonded together and pressed with special machines. This was done to avoid possible cracks which may have resulted had the statue been worked out of one single trunk.

The statue measures two metres (6 feet 6 inches) from the toes to the top of the head. When carried its total height will be about sixteen feet four inches.

The statue fits exactly on the pedestal which was previously used to carry the Holy Sacrament. It is a silver globe representing the earth being lifted by the four symbols representing the four evangelists.

The Maltese artist Ganni Bonnici first made a life-size fibreglass model of the statue. It was sent to Ortisei, in the province of Bolzano, Italy on 26^th March, 1999.

The actual statue was made by four Italian artists - each one of them a master in his line of art. Matteo Insam was responsible and made the main sculpting and carving of the statue. It was completed in two months (Photo 2). Another artist who specialises in fine sculpting made the work on the border of the mantle and of the dress in August. During September, another artist took care of the gilding whilst in October yet another artist took care of painting the statue.

The statue arrived in Paola on the 19^th October, 1999 packed in a container.

All expenses for the statue were paid by an individual in memory of a person who always had the welfare of the parish on his mind and heart and who worked relentlessly to improve the feast, both the internal celebrations and well as the external ones.

The Message of the Statue

The statue represents Jesus Christ after the resurrection and before He went to heaven. The style and colour of the mantle and tunic is very delicate and it symbolises Christ's spirituality in the glory of God.

The position of both arms is also particular. Christ is King because during his life in Person he gathered all human beings and united them with God. With the left arm lifted up and the palm of the hand open He is receiving the energy, life and blessing of God, collecting it in His body and transmitting it with the right hand which is in a blessing position.

His look is calm and radiates forgiveness and brotherly care.

The statue shows Christ as the sole Mediator between God and the human being.

Ganni Bonnici - The Artist

Ganni Bonnici was born in Mosta. Since 1953 he started attending various Art Institutes and Academies abroad, including Stoke-on-Trent, Rome (where he spent four years), Perugia, London and Austria. He used to teach art at the St. Joseph Technical Institute in Paola. He was also responsible for setting up the School of Arts and Artisanship at Targa Gap where he became Headmaster until his retirement.

Bonnici displayed his works in various art exhibitions and his names can be seen on various monuments and churches in Malta, Canada, San Francisco and Rome. His works include the Independence Monument in Floriana, the monument remembering the Pope's visit to Malta in Mellieha and the monuments remembering those who perished in war at Senglea, Mosta and Attard.

Some of the works by Ganni Bonnici can also be found in the church of Christ the King, Paola. These are fibreglass statues representing St.Paul, St.Peter and St.Francis. These are at the side altars.

Matteo Insam - The Sculptor

Matteo Insam is a young sculptor who lives in Ortisei, a province of Bolzano in the north of Italy where he also has his study. He was born on 30^th April 1973 in Bressanone. He studied for two years at the Istituto d'Arte in Ortisei. Then, for a period of four years, he was an apprentice with a master sculptor. At the same time he continued attending the professional school of artistic artisanship in Ortisei. In 1993 he obtained the Diploma d'Abilitazione Professional as a sculptor and in 1994 he obtained the Diploma di Maturita d'Arte. In this same year he became a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Bolzano in the arts section. He has since successfully taken part in a number of exhibitions which were organised in Bolzano, Milan, Munich and Piacenza. 

Visit the Christ the King Photo Gallery

The following is an article by Manwel D. Schembri from the Times of Malta of 16/02/2000

Ganni Bonnici and his Glorious King  - by Manwel D. Schembri

Paola ended the 20^th century without an external celebration of the death of Christ the King. But Ganni Bonnici gave this village a statue for the 21^st century.

Ganni is past his 60^th year, but the agility with which his fingers mould and shape the clay is as young and as fervent as ever. When approached by the Paola parish priest to design a titular statue Ganni's heart leapt with enthusiasm.

The result spells out his deep faith in an omnipresent of mercy and justice.

Ganni's Christ the King is regal, human, divine and merciful. He stands tall, His feet barely touching a silver globe, representing the world.

He walks lightly on this earth because He is not only human but also divine, and therefore almost weightless through His risen glorious body.

His eyes pierce lovingly all who stand in front of Him. His look is calm and radiates forgiveness and brotherly care.

Bonnici dressed his Christ in a mysteriously delicate white tunic, translating the regal into the heavenly, emphasising the spiritual sanctity of this mediator between God and all mankind. A touch of gold reminds us he comes from David's Line. His raised left hand, antenna-like, seems to be receiving the empowering grace of God the Father while his outstretched right hand is imparting the grace received to all men of good will.

Mosta-born Bonnici sent a full life-size fibreglass model to Ortisei, in the province of Bolzano, in Italy. Matteo Insam, a 26-year old sculptor from Bressanone, ably cut Bonnici's Christ in cirmolo, a strong (but extremely light) wood, suitable to be carried on human shoulders.

Ganni Bonnici's Christ the King is not only a work of art, but also a labour of love and a tribute to two millennia of Christian faith which has nurtured a nation of generous, peace-loving and deeply religious people, who still cherish the good news brought to these shores by the Apostle Paul.